BK 5 - Chapter 12 - Marcy's Surprise
**Roseville, California**
Sunday came quickly, and Milo was just as excited as Marcy was. He had thought long and hard about a present for her. He didn't want it to be something generic that had no meaning. He and Marcy had spent most of Saturday together, so he got to know her a little better.
They walked around the property, and Marcy told him how she liked to make up stories, but her grandpa never let her have any books. That's when Milo knew what he wanted to get her. After dinner, he asked Cat where the closest bookstore was. She gave him directions, and he drove over near the mall. He explained to a sweet older lady working in the children's section what he was looking for, and she took him right to it. In addition to his surprise, he bought Marcy several books and writing materials. He also bought wrapping supplies and a card.
Now, it was the day of the party, and Milo had his presents wrapped and ready. He had helped decorate the backyard early in the morning before the kids woke up. They were just waiting for everyone to arrive.
"Is everything okay?" Cat asked Milo as she sat next to him on the deck while they waited for the party to start.
"I was just wondering how you know today is Marcy's real birthday? If Trey believes her grandfather used a fake name, wouldn't he have faked her information as well?" He asked her.
"He very well may have, but her school records and the fake birth certificate he gave them are all we have to go on. Trey is still searching for her mother, but it's hard when we don't know how old she was when she was taken or if we have her real name. I'm glad she has you." Cat said with a smile. They both looked up when they heard the door slam next door. Marcy ran over with a huge smile on her face and jumped onto Milo's lap.
"It's my birthday." She said excitedly. Milo hugged her as she put her little arms around his neck.
"Happy birthday, big girl." He said as she settled on him and looked at Cat.
"Are all these decorations really for me?" Marcy asked, looking around the two backyards connected to make one enormous yard.
"Yes, they're all for you. Birthdays are a big thing around here. Especially when you turn five. Do you feel older?" Cat asked her. Marcy tilted her head to the side and then shrugged.
"I don't know. I've never had a birthday party before. What do we do?" She asked, looking between the two adults. Milo was saddened by what she said. He'd never had a birthday party either. Cole hadn't ever cared about his birthday, and the children's home he was in had too many children to keep up with birthdays, so once a month, they had cake for dessert.
"We'll have lots of people come just to see you. We'll have games, presents, food, cake, and ice cream." Cat said, stroking her little head. Marcy's smile got bigger and bigger.
"All for me? Wow. I..." Marcy stopped talking and stared ahead. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Cat and Milo in shock but didn't say anything.
"What's wrong?" Cat asked. Marcy swallowed and looked at her and then Milo before looking at her hands.
"Uh, I don't know if I should say. I don't want to get in trouble," Milo and Cat looked at each other in confusion.
"Why would you be in trouble?" Milo asked. Marcy was wringing her hands nervously.
"You might think there's something wrong with me," Marcy said, still looking down. Milo raised her little face and saw tears in her eyes that broke his heart.
"No one will think there's anything wrong with you. We think you're a special girl who is stronger than anyone else. Tell us what's wrong." Milo said softly, wiping her tears away.
"I heard something in my head. It was a voice. She said her name is Star." Marcy hid her face in her hands, waiting for them to laugh at her or tell her to stop making things up. Cat looked at her in surprise. She knew what this meant.
"Sweetheart, did she say what kind of animal she is?" Marcy uncovered her face and looked at Cat with her mouth open.
"You don't think I'm lying?" She asked. Both Milo and Cat shook their heads.
"No. We believe you. What animal is she?" Cat asked again.
"She said she's a wolf, and today's not my birthday. Star says my grandpa gave me something to make her sleep so I wouldn't know she was there. She said my birthday was three months ago, and she was just able to wake up today." Marcy watched in surprise as they smiled at her.
"Tell Star it's nice to meet her. I have a lion; her name is Saira. Listen, and you can hear her purr." Cat leaned close, and Saira started purring. Marcy began laughing and looked at Milo.
"Do you have an animal too?" She asked him anxiously. He shook his head sadly.
"No, I'm not as special as you are. I'm just a boring human." He replied. Marcy giggled.
"What does this mean? Why do some people have animals?" She asked. She still couldn't believe that there was an animal inside her. They heard people coming, and Cat decided they needed to talk about this later.
"How about after your party, we'll talk about it. You can't tell anyone in your house about this, okay? None of them have animals, and they don't know we do. So it has to be a secret for right now." Cat said quietly as the others started running in their direction. Marcy nodded excitedly. It may not be her real birthday, but she was going to have fun. She was also celebrating she had a secret wolf.
A few hours later, after all the games had been played, the food was eaten, and the presents opened, everyone began cleaning up. Marcy had a blast and was already looking forward to her next birthday. Milo gave her the presents he had bought, and she loved all of them. He saved one to give her later after everyone was gone. Before heading to Cat's house to talk about her being a werewolf, he sat with her at a picnic table.
"I have another present I want to give you." He pulled out a small gift and handed it to her.
"Another present?" She asked. Milo smiled.
"Yep. I hope you like it." Marcy ripped the paper off and looked at the book in her hands. Milo had given her several books, but this one was unique. There were no words, just blank lines, and places for her to put her picture on the little girl's body.
"This is your book, Marcy. What happened with your grandpa was the past, but you get to decide what happens in your future. All the lines are blank because your story hasn't been written yet. You get to write your own story." Marcy looked from Milo to the book and jumped into his arms.
"This is the best present ever. Thank you." He smiled as he hugged her. Milo knew she'd like that and knew she was going to have an incredible story to tell. They walked inside, where Cat, Trey, Melanie, and Saxon were waiting. Marcy sat on Milo's lap, he made her feel safer than anyone else.
"Alright, Marcy, we're going to tell you all about werewolves," Cat said with a smile.
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**Denver, Colorado**
Samantha sat in her car and cried. It had been almost four years since that bastard kidnapped her daughter, and she had been following one lousy lead after another. Her mate Duncan had been human. When they met, she had to tell him about werewolves. He didn't believe her at first, but then he met her wolf. He accepted her, and she marked him.
That was supposed to be the beginning of their happily ever after, but it wasn't. When Duncan took her to meet his father, it didn't go well. They didn't tell him that Samantha was a wolf or that Duncan would be one soon, but when he slapped Samantha, her wolf, Goldie came out. She didn't attack but growled in warning as they left. Duncan told his dad he would never see him again.
They left and went to Samantha's pack. The Hidden Moon pack. Duncan got his wolf, and a few months later, Samantha went into heat. They were happy and ready to start their family, but it wasn't meant to be. When they were out shopping for baby items, they ran into his father. They argued, and when he realized Duncan was also a wolf, he pulled out a gun and shot him. He said he no longer had a son; he was a freak.
The silver bullet went straight to Duncan's heart. Samantha screamed for someone to help, but no one did anything. Duncan died almost instantly. If it wasn't for the pup she was carrying, she wouldn't have survived. Dina was the only light in her life. She was the last piece of Duncan she had left. Samantha slowly came out of her grief after she had her daughter.
When Dina was about eighteen months old, they went to the library. Samantha read to her a lot, and even at a young age, Dina loved listening to the stories. They left the library later than planned, and it was already getting dark.
Samantha was putting Dina in her car seat when something hit her over the head. She fell to the ground and saw Duncan's father take Dina out of her car seat. She stood up and was ready to shift when he threw a liquid on her. It made her sick instantly, and she knew it was wolfsbane. She couldn't shift or use any of her abilities. He hit her again, and she passed out on the ground as he ran away with her daughter.
Samantha hadn't stopped searching for Dina since that day. Members of her pack had been helping, and they informed law enforcement, but there was no trace of him or Dina anywhere. When the police looked up Duncan's father's name, all his accounts and everything associated with him had been closed, so they said he had most likely changed his name. Samantha was terrified that he had killed Dina, but she couldn't allow herself to believe that.
She had followed a lead to a pack in Denver that had some pups that were orphans. She had hoped Dina was one of them. She was five now, so she should have her wolf. It was a long shot, to begin with, but all she had was hope. Now, she didn't know where to go. Suddenly, her phone flashed with a message.
*There's a werelion family located in Nothern, California that helps children of all species. They may be able to help you. Cat's the owner, and she was the one who helped us get started with taking care of orphan pups. I just thought about it when you left. Good luck.*
It was a message from the luna of the pack she had just left. Maybe this was the break she was looking for. Samantha started her car and started driving West. Hopefully, Cat could help her.
